The drainage system added to Red Maple Lane a few years back couldn't keep up with Wednesday's heavy rain.
As much as 5 inches of rain dumped on southern Isabella County Wednesday evening, flooding streets and farm fields, and filling small creeks to their banks.
Slow-moving thunderstorms crept across mid-Michigan beginning late Wednesday afternoon, crawling along a frontal boundary at about 10 mph. That gave the storms plenty of time to drop plenty of water.
National Weather Service Doppler radar analysis showed the heaviest rain was in the Shepherd area of southern Isabella County, as well as far northern Gratiot County and southern Midland County.


Beans need rain, but enough is enough.


Corn plants in this field had their feet in the water.
The slow pace of the storms prompted weather service meteorologists to extend the severe thunderstorm warning at least twice.
Thunderstorm winds caused scattered downed trees about five miles northwest of Farwell. A county official told the weather service that some large trees were down along M-115 for a three-mile stretch, including at the intersection of M-115 and Silver Lake Drive.
In Montcalm County, a tree was blown down at M-91 and Kendaville Road south of Lakeview.



Standing water was reported on Blanchard Road between Summerton and Isabella roads near Shepherd, and on M-46 near Alger Road in Gratiot County, as well as on side roads.